


Homeward

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Creature Draco Malfoy, Creature Fic, Dumbledore's Armada: Trope Mash-Up Flash Fiction Comp, Established Relationship, F/M, Flash Fic, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hermione Granger Is Still Skeptical With Anything Related to Predestination or Divination, Light Petting, Mythical Beings & Creatures, New Relationship, POV Hermione Granger, Pining Draco Malfoy, Soft Draco Malfoy, Stuck in Draco's Room, Supportive Narcissa Black Malfoy, Tender - Freeform, True Mates, Truth Revealed, Veela Draco Malfoy, Veela Mates, one bed, patience - Freeform, short and sweet, trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26627257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Hermione Granger knew Narcissa Malfoy would do anything for her son. So when Narcissa told her that Draco was a dying Veela and Hermione, as his mate, must save him by performing the Veela Mating Ritual, she shouldn't have been surprised that Narcissa took it upon herself to meddle into their affairs.Posted for Dumbledore's Armada: Trope Mash-Up Flash Fiction Comp
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 35
Kudos: 245
Collections: Trope Mashup Comp





	Homeward

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [Trope_Mashup_Flash_Fic_Comp](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Trope_Mashup_Flash_Fic_Comp) collection. 



> Written for the Trope Mashup Flash Fiction Comp hosted by QuinTalon in Dumbledore’s Armada Discord. My chosen prompt was **Veela + Only One Bed**. 
> 
> A huge thank you to the [J](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlGreyPanic)[A](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takingflight48)[M](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwi05622/works) squad for the alphabeta and the beautiful moodboard!

  


Hermione sat on the four-poster bed and worried her lower lip as guilt gnawed a hole through her stomach. She watched Draco pace back and forth in his room before abruptly stopping in his tracks and wave his wand to try other unlocking spells on his door. He growled in frustration when it inevitably failed once again. 

“Malfoy, calm down,” she said, fisting his dark teal sheets to hold in her anxiety, unrelated to the locked door.

“How’s this alright?” his voice rose as he gestured towards the charmed door. “We’re going to be late for our bloody reservation,” he groaned.

The bed dipped as he sat, and she felt her body lean towards him. His body stiffened as their arms touched, and he hastily stood up and opted to lean against the side table. He stared at her until his eyes slowly narrowed, “Has my mother spoken to you recently?”

She blinked, immediately recalling her conversation with Narcissa yesterday.

_Hermione had been startled when Narcissa dropped in unannounced and carefully explained how Draco was a Veela and she was his fated match. He had skirted around courting her for too long, and as his mate, it was imperative she knew that he must fulfill the Mating Ritual lest he forfeits his life. The longer Narcissa spoke, the longer she remained frozen, quill slipping out of her hand with a dull thud._

_“Malfoy’s a Veela,” she repeated slowly._

_“A dying Veela, yes,” Narcissa emphasized as if her whole world hadn’t just tilted on its axis for a moment._

_“And the Mating Ritual, that’s the…” She brought her hands to her burning cheeks. Wetting her suddenly dry lips, she stuttered, “Mrs. Malfoy, I’ve only been seeing your son for two weeks. You can’t possibly expect me, us, to – to –.”_

_“Ms. Granger,” she interrupted, “if my son doesn’t complete this ritual soon, he may-“ She paused sharply. Her hand gripped her black clutch until her knuckles turned white. “Please, Ms. Granger. He doesn’t have time.”_

_Hermione’s chest clenched at the look of fierce motherly love on Narcissa’s face._

_“It’s not that I don’t want to help, truly,” they could both sense the ‘but’ proceeding her statement, but she couldn’t stomach making false promises to bond with Draco the next time she saw him._

_“I will aid you, Ms. Granger, if you chose to save my son,” Narcissa said before leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts._

Blinking away her memories, she inwardly cursed that Narcissa’s _aid_ was sealing them in his bedroom to shag!

“Y-your mother?" She stuttered, "n-no, I haven't," keeping her gaze fixed over his left ear.

He tilted his head to the side, filling her vision with his narrowed eyes. “You’re lying right now.”

The gnawing in her stomach got worse, and she clutched her stomach tight to quell the riotous pain. 

She felt his cool touch against her heated cheek as he raised her eyes to match his. “What’s ailing you, Hermione?” He spoke his words gently, and somehow, she felt her body relaxed as if he fed her a calming draught. 

From the candles flickering on his bedside table, she could see the slight shimmer blanketing his face. “Glamour charm?” she murmured when she reached her hand towards his face.

He leaned forward to meet her touch while trailing his fingers down her neck to rest lightly on her shoulder.

“I had trouble sleeping, and I didn’t want to look terrible for our date,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “Feels nice.” He sighed as he nuzzled his cheek against her hand.

She felt her face ablaze and wondered if Draco realized how terribly intimate they were being right now.

As if he read her mind, he snapped his eyes wide open and stumbled back a few steps. He cleared his throat into his tight fist; his pale cheeks tinged with pink. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he looked to the locked door.

The silence filled the air between them with awkward tension. She worried her lips, knowing they had to talk about his mating ritual. After all, Veela’s mates were predestined, and the Veela magic would always ensure mates reunited until bound. 

She was skeptical, but after their history at Hogwarts, after joining different sides of the war, they somehow found themselves in each other’s company. She enjoyed being around him; she always felt at…

“Home,” she mumbled.

“What was that?” Draco asked.

Her eyes widened in mortification when she realized she blurted her thoughts out loud. Mustering her Gryffindor courage, she confessed as her cheeks burned, “You feel like home to me.” 

His lips twitched, and he took a step closer.

“I also know that you’re a Veela,” she whispered, relieved that the gnawing in her gut had finally subsided.

She watched the way his body stiffened before relaxing once more. “Do you want to leave?” he asked as his eyes clouded over, reminding her of a quiet thunderstorm just before the downpour. 

“I do like you,” she carefully said as she steadied her breath. “But, your mother said we need to perform the Veela mating ritual soon, and -” she bit her lips, unable to tell him that she wasn’t ready for that yet.

“Do you want to leave?” he repeated as his eyes softened. He sat next to her, and she luxuriated in the warmth his arm provided against hers.

“No,” she whispered, unable to break her gaze from his.

He tucked a curl behind her ear and stared into her eyes before dropping his gaze to her lips.

She didn’t know who leaned in first, but when he dragged his eyes back to hers, their lips lightly grazed one another until he pressed in more urgently. His hand cupped the side of her face before following the curve of her neck and rested on her shoulder to guide her down slowly.

She laid on her back, relaxing as her body sank into his mattress. His body covered hers before he dipped down to capture her lips again. His teeth lightly grazed her lower lip, and his tongue laved her upper lip. His hips pressed against hers, and she felt his hard length. She broke their kiss, lips trembling, heart pounding.

She knew that he was running out of time, but her body and mind weren’t ready to endure the mating ritual with him. Before she uttered a word, he gave her a quick peck on her cheek.

“I know,” he sighed as he rested his forehead in the crook of her neck. “I know,” he repeated as he trailed his fingers up and down her arms in a soothing gesture. “Not today,” he murmured.

“You’re sure?” she asked, trying to remain confident despite the leaden tremor in her voice.

His chest expanded, pressing her deeper into the mattress. “I need you...willingly,” he said before he rolled off to face her on his side. “Stay with me tonight?” he asked, as his arm draped over her torso.

She turned to face him and gave him a wry smile. “I don’t think I have much of a choice,” she said, taking a quick glance at his locked door.

He chuckled before leaning in to kiss her forehead. They laid there in silence, neither speaking of what had just transpired between them. In the silence, the gnawing guilt returned. Draco was dying, and she couldn’t even have sex with him to save his life. Did she value her propriety over him? 

She felt the heat and pressure forming behind her eyes from the crushing weight of her guilty conscience.

The sheets rustled as he sidled in closer to her and asked, “Is this okay?”

She felt his warmth seeping into her cold skin, through her vein, and into her heart. Scooting closer, she rested her forehead against his chest, eyes closed as she relished the feeling of being home.

“With you by my side, I can finally use the bed for its intended purpose,” he said with a light chuckle. Her body stiffened as she searched for the hidden meaning behind his words. “Shh,” he shushed her clamouring thoughts as he stroked her head gently, killing the growing anxiety before it had a chance to blossom. “I meant to sleep, Hermione. Something that’s a lot harder to come by for me recently.”

Another stab of guilt pierced her gut. “We should talk about this.”

He hummed in response while continuing his gentle strokes through her hair. “Tomorrow,” he mumbled.

“But-“ she said, ready to argue about how he very well may not have tomorrow.

“You said you’d stay.” He sighed against her forehead, “So for now, let’s sleep.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and pulled her closer.

She briefly recalled reading that a Veela and their mate felt a sense of completion when in closer proximity. Sighing out her remaining worries, she mumbled, “Tomorrow,” before she, too, was lulled into a peaceful slumber as the steady beats of their heart melded into one.

**Author's Note:**

> _A huge thank you to the Dumbledore's Armada for reading and voting on my story. I love you all so much!_  
>    
> 


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